Now Dems Considering 'Compromise' On Offshore Drilling

In the wake of the FISA 'compromise,' the Politico reports that Democrats may be ready to cave to Republicans on another issue:

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said Wednesday that Democratic and Republican leaders are negotiating a compromise on energy legislation.

In the stages of grief, denial gives way to anger and then to bargaining.

It may be an apt metaphor this week, as Democrats' long-held opposition to expanded offshore oil drilling succumbs to the political realities of $4-per-gallon gasoline.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said Wednesday that Democratic and Republican leaders are negotiating a compromise on energy legislation. Kyl declined to say who's doing the negotiating or what results, if any, their discussions have yielded.

But Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), a longtime proponent of increased offshore drilling, said he was seeing "a big shift, a big shift in my direction," and it was hard to find Democrats who disagreed.

"I'm not knee-jerk opposed to anything," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). "We're willing to work. We haven't shut our minds to anything."

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) said he sensed there were enough votes from his Democratic colleagues to expand offshore drilling into new areas -- and that the eastern Gulf of Mexico "should be one of the first places we should look."

Comments

[Fl Law Student]

WTF????

Do the Dems have any cojones anymore???? You're capitulating to a President with the WORST APPROVAL RATING EVER......­.

Why are you giving him whatever he wants.....

[DallasMike]

Did you think maybe this is not about Bush but maybe its about what is best for the country?
You guys hate Bush so much it clouds your thinking.
What do you expect coming from a Congress with a single digit aproval rating.

[JimR]

Yeah, but their approval rating is worse than his. For good reason.

[TxAggie]

Congress has the worst approval rating ever as well.

[Ides]

NO ONE WANTS YOU TO DRILL!!!!!!!!!! IT WILL NOT DO A THING!!!!!!!!

I understand it's frustrating going on television everyday and telling the world that oil drilling is not a solution and still having some networks go on and on about it all day long. You're battling a braindead media, I get it.

Step 1: Stop watching Fox News. These are people who can conduct a poll saying 55% say drilling is okay as long as it's "not in sensitive areas" and then turn around and say Americans want to start drilling whenever and wherever. They are the masters of cognitive dissonance, mixing common sense reality tidbits with bloviating ignorance on the mic.

Step 2: Start listening to your constituencies.

Step 3: Take it public. I know you've been wrestling with Republicans on this energy bill for almost three months, but nobody out there knows that the Republicans are the obstacle. You think that giving them a mercy **** will make people think you're nice and cooperative, but really they'll just think you're married. And if you take it from behind they'll just think you're a slut.

[TheRebel82]

This is why Reid an Pelosi's congress have an approval rating of 9%. They are a joke.

[KevinLoyalAmerican]

Okay - YET ANOTHER opportunity for Reid & Pelosi to CAVE IN to the Bush crime family.

Maybe while we are getting Republicans out, we need to get this wimpy Democratic (lack of) leadership out as well.
When are you cowards going to behave as if you belong to the same party as Obama, Clinton, Feingold, & Kennedy?

Good grief, Reid & Pelosi - you act as if you are in Dick Cheney's pocket! Will you PLEASE grow a pair? Can't you take your cue from Hillary & Obama? They, at least show a little courage.

Reid & Pelosi - Same as Cheney and Lieberman. COWARDS!

[clancy11]

Reid, Pelosi, Hoyer are all whimps. Time for them to go. My donations to the democrats
have ceased....­.......rep­lace them all!!!!!

[Kally]

But wait you forgot obama he voted for FISA and now is he going to vote for offshore drilling betcha he does. Didn't the DNC appoint a winner for us there.

[JimR]

Hear, hear!

[SFkid]

Nancy Pelosi, you better watch your back...us Californian's and especially San Franciscan's will remove you from the Senate if you even think about drilling Cali coast. You can bank on it.

[thromulese]

And the same goes for Feinstein and Jane Harman and the rest of the dem idiots that voted for the Bush Immunity Bill.

[BADEN]

I SAY IT IS TIME TO CLEAN HOUSE of the DLC -Blue Dog bunch of weinies that have done NOTHING for our state or our citizens in the last 2 years.

HARMAN
FEINSTEN
PELOSI

They are WOMEN also - how utterly embarrassing for our sex.
WOMEN SHOULD KNOW BETTER.

THEN:
EVERY ONE OF THE ONES BELOW THE MASON-DIXON LINE OF SANTA BARBARA

[TxAggie]

please please please

[JCTaylor]

The writing is on the wall. A great many of you lve by the polls so pay attention. 75% and up think we should drill our own oil and import less. Deal with that fact.

[Dewtrell]

And I bet you most of these individuals DON'T live on the coast. You have to get THROUGH us first.

[JimR]

I might even be OK with it if this was a real solution. But you have to be a complete idiot to believe that this is going to lead to cheaper gas. It would take 10 years before any of that oil could hit the market. Even oil experts and economists who support offshore drilling admit it will barely make a dent in the price of gas. All this will do is help make money for oil companies.

Drilling offshore will solve nothing. Deal that THAT fact.

[Helzapoppin]

Deal with THIS fact:

Oil companies hold leases on huge swaths of land in the continental US and existing offshore regions that they are not drilling. In fact, the Rethugs just recently all voted against a bill that would require the oil companies to start working those existing leases before any new offshore leases were approved.

Why dont they drill on them? First, they would have to pay Americans actual wages to do the work and they would much rather pay pennies to destitute brown people around the world instead.

But mostly, it's because they dont WANT to bring more oil onto the market. It's called cornering the market - gobble up as many leases as possible and sit on them to drive prices up. While at the same time cutting refining capacity on the other end. Why work harder to sell a larger supply for less money when you can drive supply down, do less work, and make a killing?

Think we went into Iraq to get oil? Only half true. We went in to keep Iraqi oil off the market and drive prices up. Dont be surprised if it isnt just "insurgents" or "terrorists" who keep sabotaging the drilling and pipeline infrastructure in Iraq.

[TxAggie]

Hellzapoppin-let me suggest you study up just a bit on petroleum geology and the modern exploration techniques­.. A key exploration tool is seismic- it is expensive to acquire and must be shot over large areas to get more accurate picture of the sub surface. When companies acquire seismic it is wise to own the leases that underlie the data. Unfortunately oil and gas is not found just any old where, it is found in geological traps which are miles below the surface and difficult to interpret and when exploratory wells are drilled the majority of them are dry holes. To assume that undrilled leases are unexplored or unevaluated is simply incorrect. A large amount of acreage held by oil companies is undrilled because state and federal gov't's will not grant drly permits becasue of sage grouse, lizard mating, etc. This leases are frozen (byt the govt) until permits are issued. The rig count is at a 22 year high meaning wells are being drilled as fast as they can. The problem is the areas with the most potential are off limits. The GOM produces 30% of the oil and 21% of the natural gas of the nation- that is the type of impactive reserves we need. Oil companies are doing their best to find and produce as much as possible. I believe the sudden willingness of the politicos to consider offshore drlg is due their 8% approval rating and the 70% of the public that favor offshore drilling.

[Epijim]

Deal with this fact:

Oil companies are holding in their hands RIGHT NOW, permits to drill on 43 MILLION acres and have drilled on less than 13 million as of this date. I say check out the 30 million acres first before trying to tie up even more leases!

[DallasMike]

How do you they havent checked the 30 million

[freshnotbitter]

I'm going to whine : How much are these cheap plaid suits selling my birthright for? Who told them they could sell my oil?

So when do we vote on the sale of America's oil, in November? How much are we sellling it for?
Does anybody know? If I'm selling my house I know how much I want for it don't you? Where do you see in this post any price per barrel or other price?

[thundermummy]

I will now send my dog's "leavings" to Reid and Pelosi to their offices. After all, one kind gesture deserves another.

[Wildcatdiva]

Harry Reid needs to be replaced and if Nancy has those thoughts she shoud be replaced as well.

[wm1066]

Yes, Yes, Yes!
Sorry for the redundancy but I am just so angry with the DINO's

[JimR]

Agree.

[Cathexis]

com pro mise (euphamism): To cave to demands made by belligerent, unprincipled autocrats whom you were elected to oppose. See also: "Low Congressional Approval Ratings."

[incontempt]

NO offshore wind farms? wind is as cheap as coal now...with­out all the mess...do not capitulate to the republicans , they will be wiped out this november..­.hold the line, if you give or compromise­...you give creedance to their bullshit arguement and that may cost the dems in Nov.!

[citadelgrrl05]

ARE THEY TO SCREW THIS UP FOR OBAMA..WTF

[BBackSoon]

Funny how it went from ‘Give ‘em hell Hairy’ to ‘Give ‘em everything Hairy’.

You people from Nevada need to remember just how strong of a Dem he has been.

[mediamarv]

It's long been known that a 10% increase in fuel economy would bring down the need for oil imports by a significant amount.... forget at the moment the exact figure. That could happen within a model year, have an immediate effect and not require any foolish drilling, which in only going to benefit drilling firms (who contribute heavily to repubs, I would wager) and provide no relief to gas prices for the next 10 years....

Dems can be very foolish at times, when they are not quivering in their cloister rooms at the notion of being criticized by the most despised administration in history.

[hoopesaz]

Dropping our demand is where we need to head, but the worldwide demand for oil given development in Asia will continue to increase. Our dependance on oil is not going away anytime soon. Until it does, it makes sense to have some reserve production to meet our critical needs.

More domestic production and increased conservation are NOT mutually exclusive goals.

[JimR]

It will take 10 years for any oil from offshore drilling to hit the market, so we better start reducing demand now.